The handsome Burmese Mountain Dog is often confused with the fine
Swiss farm dog called the Bernese Mountain Dog, but lives a very
different life in its native Myanmar. They were bred by northern
tribesmen to hunt the ubiquitous and troublesome local skunks and
to protect their farms and livestock.

Lying In Wait

The
dog lies in wait in the heavy undergrowth, patiently letting the
skunks pass through a carefully chosen attack zone. The black and
white markings on the face are perfect to confuse the skunks into
thinking that they are among their own (see picture at right to see
the close similarity), right up the moment when the Burmese Mountain
Dog launches into the attack. On a hunt the rust colored fur helps
the dog handler differentiate his dog from his prey. As the Burmese
say, "If it has brown, don't shoot it down."

Magical Fur

Their lustrous fur is known to be self-cleaning. In the rare event
that the skunk is able to spray a malodorous scent on them, Burmer
fur sheds the scent with a mere rinsing, unlike any other dog on
the planet.

Tree Climbing

Despite their stocky build, they are surprisingly quick and agile
and this athleticism is very useful in the hunt. Burmers have been
known to climb as much as 50 feet into trees in the northern Burmese
jungles while giving chase to the arboreal Burmese Skunk, quite a
feat for such a large canine.

Burmer As Family Dog

The Burmese Mountain Dog makes a great family dog, though their
breeding as hunters can make it very difficult for them to share
a house with cats (particularly black or black and white cats). They
are intelligent, sensitive and responsive, gentle with children and
usually calm once they reach adulthood. They can be easily trained,
though the Burmer newbie should be warned that their tree climbing
skills can lead to serious kitchen accidents if they start to think
that the cabinets are full of treats for dogs rather than humans.

Shedding

If you have to ask whether they shed or not, this is probably the
wrong breed for you. The thick coat all comes off 4 times a year,
probably as an adaptation to rid lingering skunk smells when they
come home from a hunt. It is a vast amount of fur and you can count
on finding it in your car, your home, even your toothbrush. Owners
report going out to dinner during a shedding period and having to
apologize to the restaurateur for the cloud of mostly black fur left
on their seat. So again, if you have to ask, you shouldn’t
get one of these gorgeous critters.